Search found 32 matches

by iolo
Tue Feb 18, 2020 2:41 pm
Forum: Philosophy of Language
Topic: What's the easiest language to learn?
Replies: 40
Views: 18143

Re: What's the easiest language to learn?

The easiest language to learn is one you actually care about. My parents didn't teach me Cymraeg ('Welsh') but I learned it to a fair degree before I was ten, without formal help, whereas the English, who hate us, can't even learn to say the one or two mildly difficult sounds, or the learn phonetic ...
by iolo
Fri Jan 24, 2020 3:42 pm
Forum: Philosophy of Religion
Topic: The Irony of Judaism
Replies: 6
Views: 1520

Re: The Irony of Judaism

England has no Government. The UK government promised the Jews a 'National Home , whatever that might be, to borrow money when it had no right to Palestine whatever. It observed their League of Nations mandate reasonably fairly well after the War until the Palestinians rose against them, at which th...
by iolo
Sat Jun 23, 2018 2:05 pm
Forum: Political Philosophy
Topic: Gun Control Advocates are Immoral
Replies: 36
Views: 7477

Re: Gun Control Advocates are Immoral

I don't know of a humorous reply, but a long and detailed medical report should stop 'How are you?' For the other, I suppose, 'Too much effort, mate!' is about all I can come up with!
by iolo
Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:49 pm
Forum: Political Philosophy
Topic: Gun Control Advocates are Immoral
Replies: 36
Views: 7477

Re: Gun Control Advocates are Immoral

America is a weird society, where it is believed that having the means to murder others somehow makes you 'free', so you can meanwhile kow-tow to your masters all day and chorus 'Have a good day now!' as they kick you. If there are enough people who believe the world is flat or that the moon is made...
by iolo
Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:48 pm
Forum: Philosophy of Language
Topic: What's the hardest language to learn/master?
Replies: 37
Views: 13687

Re: What's the hardest language to learn/master?

In the above, my Wife has turned wiry, for some reason!
by iolo
Mon Jun 11, 2018 1:50 pm
Forum: Philosophy of Language
Topic: What's the hardest language to learn/master?
Replies: 37
Views: 13687

Re: What's the hardest language to learn/master?

I'd say the hardest language is the language least like your own, unless you start as an infant. Chinese seems to me very close to English in many ways, whereas most inflected languages are tough (for me, anyway). Again, it depends on how prepared people are to speak to you - in the Low Countries th...
by iolo
Fri May 25, 2018 1:54 pm
Forum: Metaphysics
Topic: Silence
Replies: 11
Views: 3951

Re: Silence

When I was a Quaker Attender, I particularly liked the Silence, and thought it was far too often broken by those for whom the Spirit had been reading Guardian editorials plus Nature Notes. Probably it is the result of spending too much time with talking persons, but Silence seemed to make more sense...
by iolo
Thu May 24, 2018 1:23 pm
Forum: General Philosophical Discussion
Topic: AJ Ayer's Near Death Experience.
Replies: 40
Views: 8681

Re: AJ Ayer's Near Death Experience.

My father was a parson, and had a great fascination with these 'after death experiences'. He was technically dead for a few minutes as he was being rushed to hospital, and a bit disappointed, There was, he said, just Nothing.
by iolo
Thu May 10, 2018 12:46 pm
Forum: Aesthetics
Topic: Poetry here.
Replies: 1185
Views: 365609

Re: Poetry here.

Ay - expensive funerals to impress the Joneses are much more important! :)
by iolo
Wed May 09, 2018 2:06 pm
Forum: Aesthetics
Topic: Poetry here.
Replies: 1185
Views: 365609

Re: Poetry here.

I think the real problem is that we have been desperately pretending to turn ourselves into machines that make money, and then thinking up real machines to do it better. That game has got extremely boring anyway, and it would be nice to kick capitalism out of the window and write some decent poetry ...
by iolo
Mon May 07, 2018 1:52 pm
Forum: Aesthetics
Topic: Poetry here.
Replies: 1185
Views: 365609

Re: Poetry here.

It's my own belief that poetry arises from verse that is marked off from normal speech in some way. I can learn about Greek or Latin verse till the cows come home and can't get the pattern clear, but they had a pattern, and the results work, particularly when they were experimenting, like Catullus (...
by iolo
Sat May 05, 2018 12:39 pm
Forum: General Philosophical Discussion
Topic: War is Hell, but Combat is a Mother Fucker
Replies: 20
Views: 6373

Re: War is Hell, but Combat is a Mother Fucker

Commonsense - re military roles, you have a most suitable name!
by iolo
Fri May 04, 2018 2:08 pm
Forum: General Philosophical Discussion
Topic: War is Hell, but Combat is a Mother Fucker
Replies: 20
Views: 6373

Re: War is Hell, but Combat is a Mother Fucker

I'd sooner be killed, every time, but what sort of mug goes in the Army? I was in the RAF learning Chinese, like a sensible person.
by iolo
Wed May 02, 2018 5:48 pm
Forum: General Philosophical Discussion
Topic: War is Hell, but Combat is a Mother Fucker
Replies: 20
Views: 6373

Re: War is Hell, but Combat is a Mother Fucker

The choice is between being a legal conscientious objector, going to jail or wearing a uniform. Nobody can make you kill. I can miss a target from two feet if necessary. My objections were purely political, and the UK isn't into nasty things like that!
by iolo
Mon Apr 30, 2018 12:22 pm
Forum: Philosophical Counselling
Topic: I have a highly qualified psychological counselor booked for 12 sessions
Replies: 23
Views: 211781

Re: I have a highly qualified psychological counselor booked for 12 sessions

Sorry - you get used to initials you use. Transaction Analysis and Neuro Linguistic Programming.